This application claims the benefit of application number 01810071.9 field with the European Patent Office Jan. 8, 2002.
The present invention relates to a relocation device. These types of relocation devices can be used in various fields, such as in laboratory devices, e.g. pipettors for chemical analysis and the like.
Relocation devices are known in which the drive wheel is as a gearwheel that engages directly with the rack. However, oscillations of the distance or the angle between the rack and the axle of the drive wheel can occur, especially at greater lengths of the rack, which can lead to noise and pinching. This can impair the precision of the positioning, and the uniformity of movement, of the carriage.
The present invention has the object of providing a relocation device that operates with reduced and increased reliability while ensuring non-jerky and precisely controllable movement of the carriage. Simplicity of design is an additional advantage.
The advantages of the relocation device according to the present invention, are useful for application in laboratory devices in which the criteria described above are particularly desirable. A further essential advantage, particularly for a laboratory device, is that the power transmission is maintenance-free. Therefore, the relocation device according to the present invention is particularly suitable, for example, for relocating arms carrying pipettes that can be raised and lowered, or for robot arms for handling sample tubes, microtitration plates, and similar items.